If it’s been a rainy weekend, woodshop professor Jeremy Gosser stops by his classroom to make sure water hasn’t leaked all over the floor.

Gosser has to empty buckets filled with water because the woodshop classroom in the Jack Arends Visual Arts Building can leak up to 10 gallons of water on a day with heavy rainfall.

According to the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) 2010 visitors’ report, water leakage in the Art Building “poses dangers of slipping, structural deterioration and poor working conditions.” The report also expressed concern regarding ventilation in the building.

School of Art Director Douglas Boughton said most health and safety issues listed in NASAD’s report have or will be addressed. He expects the School of Art to hear from NASAD in about six weeks about whether the school has been recertified.

The School of Art has been certified by NASAD for 42 years, and Boughton said it’s very unlikely that they will be denied certification this year. Being NASAD-approved gives the School of Art good publicity and recognition for meeting national standards, he said.

Roof leakage issues worsen

Studio division head Billie Giese said nearly every classroom on the fourth floor of the Art Building has water leaks.

According to NASAD’s report, water leakage in the Art Building has worsened over the years, and it affects printmaking, metals, fibers, painting and woodshop.

“This isn’t something that just started happening,” Giese said. “This has been going on for 10 or 11 years, and the leakage issues keep getting progressively worse.”

Nina Rizzo, assistant professor of painting, said it doesn’t matter if it recently rained – water continually drips into buckets placed throughout the oil painting classroom.

“The buckets are a nuisance because it makes us waste our space,” Rizzo said. “It’s difficult when you have a full class to find enough room for everybody to work.”

Michael Rinchiuso, junior art education major, said when he took a jewelry class, there were certain spots he wouldn’t sit at because he didn’t want to get dripped upon.

Getting hit with raindrops made it difficult for some of his classmates to concentrate, Rinchiuso said.

‘It’s a complex solution’

Boughton was concerned about the water leakage and sent memos and photographic documentation to Finance and Facilities.

Boughton said Finance and Facilities is responsible for the structure and maintenance of the Art Building, but it is the School of Art’s responsibility to report issues like the leaky roof to them.

Jeff Daurer, director of capital budget and planning for NIU, said the roof will be replaced using state funding. Because it is a Capital Development Board project, the state takes care of the contracts and bidding for the roof replacement, Daurer said.

Bidding for the project will start in the spring, and the roof will be replaced this summer, Daurer said. The current estimate for the project at the program analysis and schematic design phase is $595,000, he said.

“You have to design it while taking into consideration about how to move water off the roof properly,” Daurer said. “We’re not talking about a little water. We’re talking about, with some of these roofs, an acre of water. It’s a complex solution.”

Safety concerns

While using electric tools, jewelry and woodshop students work around buckets that hold water that drips from the ceiling. Boughton said this is a safety concern, but instructors and technicians make sure to take precautions so the students aren’t at risk.

“We are taking care, of course, with the current situation to make sure that we capture the leaks as they come into the rooms and make sure there’s no power equipment or areas where the students can be injured,” Boughton said. “It’s a little bit tricky sometimes, but we’ll be fine until we get the roof repaired.”

When the snow first melts off the roof in the spring, art professors have said they see a significant increase in the amount of water leaking into the building.

Time arts instructor Bart Woodstrup said during this time, water will drip down the wall and into the computer lab in Room 310B. This creates standing water beneath some of the computers, but Woodstrup doesn’t allow his students to sit there.

Boughton said he hadn’t heard about Woodstrup’s concerns before.

“It’s never been reported to me,” Boughton said. “I didn’t know that.”

Ventilation problems, solutions

Although there are ventilation systems in the clay mixing and kiln room, there is no ventilation system in the ceramics glaze cage, said Jose Avalos, ceramics graduate student.

When there is a draft in the air, Avalos said the dust can travel throughout the room, which could be harmful for students with allergies or respiratory problems.

According to NASAD’s report, “the ceramics glaze cage lacks the necessary air intake mechanisms to circumvent the breathing of harmful particulates.” Even though students are required to wear dust masks, NASAD said this was a “temporary solution.”

Daurer said NIU is looking into using a premixed glaze that doesn’t produce any dust so students wouldn’t have to wear masks anymore.

Avalos said administrators don’t know much about glaze chemistry, and would hinder the learning process by purchasing premade commercial glazes.

“If we mix our own glazes we can control the color, surface and firing temperature,” Avalos said. “With commercial glazes that is all predetermined for you.”

Another concern raised in NASAD’s report was filtration devices installed in the sculpture facility might be insufficient during heavy use periods.

Sculpture professor Lee Sido said downdraft tables more effectively collect dust. Because each downdraft table can cost from $4,500 to $4,900, Sido hopes to save money by building the tables with graduate assistants.

“I know we have problems,” Sido said. “The building is almost 45 years old. But if you take everything into consideration, we should thank the university for finally getting through to the state and getting a schedule for a new roof. That’s an accomplishment in itself.”